Asteto Dent Labshttp://asteto.com
2075 Millburn Ave Maplewood, NJ 07040Mon, 16 Feb 2015 03:56:55 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Nearing the end of 2013….http://asteto.com/2013/11/28/nearing-the-end-of-2013/
http://asteto.com/2013/11/28/nearing-the-end-of-2013/#commentsThu, 28 Nov 2013 05:27:35 +0000http://asteto.com/?p=981As all of us head into December, nearing the end of another calendar year, wondering where the time went, many of us give thanks and appreciation for the wonderful family, friends, and clients we have that make life so enjoyable.

Also, many of wonder what can we do to make 2014 a ‘banner’ year for our practice, our business, our company?

Seeing literally hundreds of dental clients at the many dental events our laboratory participates in during the course of a month, a great number of dentists seem to have the same questions: How is it out there (tentatively declaring it is ‘very slow’) or Are you guys busy (thinking that a dental lab’s own ‘business’ would be a measure of reality?)…

My answer to that is you cannot compare my lab’s own situation, where we truly try to be everywhere in our target marketplace (primarily New Jersey with some reaching out to the Tristate areas), including literally over 100 dental events a year we participate in, not to mention: emails, direct mail, newsletters, office visits, and of course this website amongst tons of other communication tools we use to help the dental community.

So, the average dentist works 32 hours a week (although recent comments from hundreds of dentists tend to prove to me they are working much less hours). I am just wondering….what are the dentists ‘doing’ the other hours during the week? Are they all single parents raising their kids? Do they have another job? Are their hobbies very demanding of their time , for example, training for a marathon, or mountain climbing,maybe traveling?

I would hope and think, that it makes sense to devote several hours a week, ‘outside’ the practice, to spend that time on ‘building’ your business.

But here’s the challenge: Dentists went to school because they loved science and wanted to serve the public. They did not ‘major’ in business or marketing or public speaking. However with the vast resources this world has, it’s never too late. Why not start learning,reading,speaking, networking, and putting into action, all the tools you need to do, to make 2014 your best year ever.

Start looking at ‘other’ industries to learn how their businesses became overwhelmingly successful and apply those aspects to your own.

Place systems and training into your practice, get your staff trained, take them everywhere, to all kinds of business & dental seminars. Send them to terrific half or full day courses like Fred Pryor or Careertrack offers in every city!

Start getting in front of groups: Lions, Kiwanis,Chamber of Commerce,and tons more. Make your practice a household name to every MOM within 5 miles of your office! Think about the schools nearby,sports teams, how you can get in front of them!

Never took a (okay,here comes the dirty word ‘sales’ course? Better start reading Jeffrey Gitomer books, and make sure you see this guy IN PERSON when you can! (of course bring your staff)
You are in control, this is your practice,over 50% of the public doesn’t bother to see a dentist regularly, your potential is unlimited, people want your services, you simply need to explain it (‘sell it’) in a manner in which they will understand & appreciate. Educate them, use intra-oral cameras(you can purchase a wired one from us for $79 with a 30 day money back guarantee!!!), spend time with your patients.

Want to get to the next level,consider a coach for your practice.

When I walk into a practice, I can tell within minutes if the office has been through a formal coaching program. The front desk is polite, energetic,happy, acknowledges you, the areas are spotless, there are no signs (usually unframed) like ‘You Must Pay’ or ‘ If you’re late there’s a charge’ etc., all policies are already understood by the patients….I could go on and on.

What will you do different in 2014 to better your business,keep a notepad handy and take the next month to start thinking and in the meantime, have a very safe & happy holiday from all of us here at Asteto Dent Labs!

]]>http://asteto.com/2013/11/28/nearing-the-end-of-2013/feed/0What’s hot and what successful dentists are doing….http://asteto.com/2013/04/22/whats-hot-and-what-successful-dentists-are-doing/
http://asteto.com/2013/04/22/whats-hot-and-what-successful-dentists-are-doing/#commentsMon, 22 Apr 2013 10:21:01 +0000http://asteto.com/?p=893Having contact with with literally hundreds of dentists a month, I can see clearly what’s going on between the successful dentists and ‘the others’ and it’s a lot like Dr Howard Farran (dentaltown.com the largest resource I have ever seen in dentistry) says, all successful dentists can be found taking lots of continuing ed,whether it’s an evening, full day, weekend, or week, you’ll find happy ambitious dentists at continuing ed events.

Yes, we’ve got to control costs, get our staff trained, have systems and policies (and enforce them) but there are tons of resources and companies (and people) who can help you with that.

You, yourself, need to be ‘out there’ amongst your colleagues, see what’s going on, network with vendors that are here for the long run, and keep up on the latest trends.

Years ago, I referred my brother & sister n’law to a dentist (actually a long time friend & customer of mine) and when he sold his practice recently, she asked me for a dentist this time closer to her home.

After visiting him, she raved about his digital x-ray,and the fact she gets a text on her phone reminding her of her appointment(!) and that proves that technology in a dental office IMPRESSES your patients; They are talking about it,they love the emails, texts, the hi-tech office!

And yes…if you don’t have a website..well…you need to get started yesterday,and don’t forget to make it mobile (phone) friendly!

Forget about the fact that your patients do check you out on your website, but there are thousands of prospective patients ‘searching’ for a dentist on their phone(!) every month! I know offices getting 15-20 new patients a month from their website and using various Google tools.

Market to those ‘Moms’ within 5 miles of your practice,get out in the community,network with the businesses in your town(city), and if you cannot do it, get someone in your office(hopefully an outgoing positive person!) to do it!

Everything takes work, there are opportunities out there, us vendors are counting on you!

]]>http://asteto.com/2013/04/22/whats-hot-and-what-successful-dentists-are-doing/feed/2Start the New Year Thinking About Training Yourself and Your Staffhttp://asteto.com/2012/12/26/start-the-new-year-thinking-about-training-yourself-and-your-staff/
http://asteto.com/2012/12/26/start-the-new-year-thinking-about-training-yourself-and-your-staff/#commentsWed, 26 Dec 2012 16:54:19 +0000http://asteto.com/?p=860As this year comes to a close, our laboratory is preparing for a 2013 year that includes hundreds of opportunities for our valued clients and the dental community to participate and further their education through our vast network of continuing education events.

You can even plan a beautiful cruise vacation on the mega-ship Allure of the Seas where you will learn from Dentaltown’s Dr Howard Farran about the business aspects of running your practice and achieving new levels. This will leave out of Ft Lauderdale June 23rd (through 30th) for 7 nights and visit St Thomas, St Marteen, and Nassau(Bahamas),simply call Adam at Land&Sea Vacations 1-800-485-4010!

If your laboratory, your suppliers, are not connecting you to the latest trends, the latest info, consulting with you on your patients expectations & challenges, if they are not providing your practice with lunch n learns, even continuing ed opportunities, in today’s economy, your practice demands to have vendors behind you that will support your business. Surround yourself with vendors that are not order takers, surround yourself with contacts that will benefit your life & your business.

Dental schools have trained our clients to be good and great clinicians, even scientists, ‘Doctors’ if you will , however when it comes to people skills, marketing, and business management tools, the dental schools have disregarded them.

Now, I find many dentists ‘catching up’ on these business skills, as they find themselves in a business that they must take control of, including cash flow/accounting skills,people management skills, purchasing & selling skills,and much more.

The ‘wake-up’ call that Howard provides in his courses is done so in a most entertaining way which also motivates us to bring him back to NJ each year. Dr Farran can be so brutally honest and use humor to get his point across, that some may find offensive. If that’s the case, I’d suggest a must-read book by Miguel Ruiz called ‘The Four Agreements’ where you will learn in detail not to take things personally(anything!), how to ‘do your best’ , never to ‘assume’ and be ‘impeccable’ with your word. Every business owner should have this book(or every human being!).

With over 100 registrants for our lab’s full day (Oct 3rd) upcoming event with Howard at the beautiful scenic Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange,NJ, there are but two or three specialists at most attending; This is so hard to believe because the income that most specialists count on, is from their referring GP’s. Why wouldn’t you want to be wherever your target and potential referrers are, for two reasons : One is to network with and meet them, and secondly to understand the nature of their business and what their challenges are.

Personally, I have been to and sponsored literally thousands of dental seminars. The education of learning what the average dentist has to go through on a daily basis is amazing. Every vendor should be at most of these seminars and events, so that they learn what their customers are faced with on a daily basis. Then one can truly appreciate their relationships and be in a position to help them.

Our laboratory cannot think like a typical vendor in today’s challenging economy; Today you must be a resource for your customers, and continuing education is the best way to do that.

Keep learning and use dentaltown.com to learn & network with your colleagues!

]]>http://asteto.com/2012/09/30/skills-required-in-industry/feed/0Attracting more patients & thinking out of the boxhttp://asteto.com/2012/08/19/attracting-more-patients-thinking-out-of-the-box/
http://asteto.com/2012/08/19/attracting-more-patients-thinking-out-of-the-box/#commentsSun, 19 Aug 2012 03:53:56 +0000http://asteto.com/?p=818Well, you are probably going to skip this section if you just finished yet another record setting Summer and are up in revenue so much already this year you are thinking of taking it easy the remaining months.

But, for those of you (including the hundreds of NJ/NY dentists I speak with each month) who have been seeing the papers (that your patients read) exclaiming that NJ has the highest unemployment rate (almost 10%) in 35 years, and the roller coaster of the stock market scaring people…well…isn’t it about time you thought about: ‘marketing’ yes, marketing, the second ‘dirtiest’ word to ‘selling’ and most feared word in the history of dentistry!

It’s very simple: You have a service & product you’d send your own family to, you should be telling everybody, proud , and confident without any doubt in your mind that your patients are better off with you than anywhere else.

To start translating this enthusiasm, let’s start with making sure you always carry around your crisp new business cards (with some sort of enticing offer on the back for new patients) but don’t forget to make sure your ‘staff’ also has their own business cards.

Now, let’s get into marketing: You should be familiar with and using the following two websites:

Constantcontact.com (or a similar service)

And Odesk.com

Use constantcontact to email all your patients (yes, you’ll need to have their email addresses) every month a new FUN type offer if they refer you a new patient(for example: FREE dinner for 2 if you refer a new patient this month!) (of course you know how to purchase beautiful restaurant giftcards at 40-50% off,don’t you?) (if not keep reading)

Use odesk.com to hire well English spoken telemarketers at $3-4 an hour to do perhaps the following:

(you’ve got to start thinking out of the box)

1. Call every business or company (it’s easy to purchase a list or simply find out by googling) within 10 miles of your practice and offer for them and their employees to become new patients,perhaps an initial exam & x-rays FREE etc,make sure you mention your new hi-tech toys, your very convenient hours,etc. Better than offering them this through the phone, you may simply want to use the telemarketer to call these companies and attain the personnel director’s name & email so you can send all of them an email about your practice.

2. Call every new resident (easy to get a list) and make a special offer to them to come in as a new patient.

Total cost,well, 20 calls an hour, $3-4 per hour, let’s say a very small risky investment(!).

Oh yes, dinners at 40-50% off,and no I am not talking about those (although they are good) restaurant.com certificates, I am talking about genuine giftcards or gift certificates,if you cannot buy some on skyauction.com (there are MANY high end restaurants in NYC and other major cities selling these through auction style sales at 50+% off) why not approach a couple restaurants in your area: tell them what you’re planning to do,and ask them if they’d be interested in getting new clients themselves,by selling you giftcards(certificates) at 50% off (not valid for tip,tax,alcohol),it’s a win-win for everyone.

Don’t forget the website: icitycerts.com where they sell giftcards to tons of restaurants online: the trick is to ‘google’ : “icitycerts promo code” and get the code and perhaps save 40-50% off the cost of the giftcards!

One more tip, don’t do this for one month, commit to twelve months, many people like repetition, they like to know you’re for ‘real’ and are here to stay. OK, be sure to check back every 1-2 weeks for more ways to build your practice!

]]>http://asteto.com/2012/08/19/attracting-more-patients-thinking-out-of-the-box/feed/0Train Yourself This Summerhttp://asteto.com/2012/07/26/train-yourself-this-summer/
http://asteto.com/2012/07/26/train-yourself-this-summer/#commentsThu, 26 Jul 2012 02:13:17 +0000http://asteto.com/?p=805The Summer is no time to relax! It’s time to re-think your practice, your marketing strategies, and how you are going to make sure that September through December is packed with patients!

Training is everything! Those of you with ‘trained’ staff know what I’m talking about. It’s like your staff owns the practice! They’ve taken ‘ownership’ and the buck stops with them! Training is not cheap, but think about this: How much is it worth to have your revenue increased by 10,15,20 percent (or more!) and lessen the headaches of everyday practice challenges! Think about getting training for your staff!!

Now…some of you are saying, what training, what are you talking about…I mean communication, telephone skills, and yes: selling(!) or to put it nicer: closing cases, treatment acceptance, being creative in helping your patients find financing,etc. If your practice does not employ ongoing training, or a coach,it certainly doesn’t hurt to look into it!

Having been to,well, perhaps over 2000 dental offices personally in my ,let’s say:multiple decades of dental experience(!), I’d say now’s the time to ramp up your office for a busy Fall: Think about redoing those floors,décor,the front of your entrance, and of course maintain a spotless environment. I have seen a vast difference in practices over the years and trust me:patients like a more modern clean look!

Patients love cleanliness, and also high tech, be sure to use an intra-oral camera on EVERY patient, I promise you, they will talk about it! And always let them take home their ‘before’ photo so they’ll remember the beautiful treatment you provided! Nothing wrong with keeping a photo of them in their chart, so when your receptionist sees them (after noting their photo on the chart) come through the front door, they can identify them by first name!

Here’s the secret: Be Memorable. (In a good way of course!) That’s it, nothing more, 25+ years of dental experience and that’s the best I can tell you ,but it will work. Keep a dozen umbrellas in your office to give out if they need one, keep taxi numbers handy for instances when someone needs one ,etc. And start reading books about Ritz Carlton!

It’s all about service ,that’s what will be one of the very best ways to differentiate yourself!

]]>http://asteto.com/2012/07/26/train-yourself-this-summer/feed/0Welcome to your Asteto Blog!http://asteto.com/2012/07/19/welcome-to-your-asteto-blog/
http://asteto.com/2012/07/19/welcome-to-your-asteto-blog/#commentsThu, 19 Jul 2012 04:10:55 +0000http://asteto.com/?p=779I will use this opportunity to talk about the tons of things & ways available to increase your practice, your profits, your life!

You may wish to always check our monthly Asteto News (newsletter) (also on our website) as I frequently throw in some good little known tips,techniques, and ways to build your business and/or profits.

All of us are born with the same amount of hours and seconds in the day. Why do some become ridiculously wealthy, others moderately wealthy, many struggling,etc. Granted, there are sometimes circumstances that interfere, but most of the time, it is the ‘choices’ we make (or don’t make) on a daily basis in life.

The first thing I can say is to surround yourself with TONS of resources, including ‘resourceful’ people. Is your supplier just an order taker, or does he/she provide valuable insights on the industry, inform you of how to improve, let you know of the latest technology….by the way…I’m obviously not only talking about your dental supplier, but your labs, all your vendors!

Be sure to attend study group meetings, continuing ed events,seminars, and don’t just restrict yourself (or your staff) to dental industry events. Check out events.pryor.com or careertrack.com, there are tons of low cost opportunities you can use to train your staff(&yourselves) to build your practice!

Learn how to use that small window of time you have with your patients to ‘train’ or educate them. Get rid of that TV in your reception area giving your patients the bad news of the economy! Place some sort of dental education media in your reception area, teaching them about dentistry and all that’s available to them today!

I love the practices that place a small brochure holder neatly tacked into the wall (or door) of the outside of their offices. When they are closed and people walk by, they can grab your office brochure. Have you thought about placing ,well, a HUNDRED, of these brochure holders filled with your brochures, in local area establishments (hair salons,restaurants,gyms,spas,etc.) Simply offer to take their brochures & business cards & keep them on a large board or display area of your practice.

Behind in your schedule, and your patient(s) getting a little disturbed? I have seen offices ‘reward’ patients (for being patient) with movie tickets, nominal gift certificates,etc, and simply say to them how much you appreciate their loyalty and for being patient.

There are countless ways to continuously build your business, cut down on your overhead, and also offer some of the latest technologies. We will be discussing those here, in this blog, and in themeantime, be sure to go on Dr Howard Farran’s site : dentaltown.com for the largest single resource of help in the dental field! Buy Fred Joyal’s (founder of 1-800DENTIST) book, and check out authors like Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham! Don’t forget to get your September mailing of postcards to your patients ready: informing them to make their appointments now so they can take full advantage of any dental insurance benefits they have before the end of the year!